1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the technical field of conveying articles, and more particularly to a conveyance apparatus configured to receive relatively flat articles at a receiving point, accumulate a predetermined number of the articles in a standing position, and deliver the articles to a discharging point.
2. Background Information
Conventionally, in some cases, a predetermined number of packaged articles such as snack foods are accumulated in a predetermined position, and then packed in cardboard boxes or large bags to be shipped. Further, in recent years, a need has developed to improve productivity by automating the accumulation process.
In addressing this need, for example, there are provided conveyance apparatuses disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-212338 and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 09-104526. First, as shown in FIG. 16, the conveyance apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-212338 includes two buckets 110, 110 for holding a plurality of flat articles X . . . X received at a receiving point P1 in a state of being accumulated in a front-to-back direction; four-looped endless chains 120 . . . 120 for circularly conveying the buckets 110, 110 from the receiving point P1 through a discharging point P2; and a position changing device 130 for changing the position of externally supplied articles X and for delivering the same to the buckets 110, 110.
In this case, the bucket 110 comprises a plurality of base plates 111′ . . . 111′ vertically disposed over the pair of endless chains 120, 120. Of these base plates 111′ . . . 111′, each base plate 111′ at the foremost end and the base plate 111′ at the rearmost end includes a standing portion (not shown), and a predetermined number of articles X . . . X are held between the standing portions. In addition, the position changing device 130 comprises a first conveyor 131 having a vertical running surface; a second conveyor 132 which is disposed on one side of the first conveyor 131 and twisted such that the running surface thereof is horizontal at the upstream end and vertical at the downstream end; a third conveyor 133 having a horizontal running surface, which is deposed below the first and the second conveyors 131, 132 and which extends to the receiving point P1; and a pair of fourth and fifth conveyors 134, 135 each having a vertical running surface, which are respectively connected to the downstream ends of the first and second conveyors 131, 132, and which are disposed above the third conveyor 133.
Accordingly, the articles X are moved from a horizontal position to a standing position by the position changing device 130 while being conveyed in the direction shown by the arrow. Then, each article X is delivered one by one to the bucket 110 at the receiving point P1. When the number of the articles X delivered reaches a predetermined number, the bucket 110 that holds these articles X so as to be accumulated in a front-to-rear direction is conveyed to the discharging point P2 as shown by the arrow.
Next, as shown in FIG. 17, the conveyance apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 09-104526 includes a holding device 210 that holds a plurality of flat articles X . . . X received at the receiving point P1 so as to be accumulated in a front-to-rear direction; a pusher 220 that transfers the articles X . . . X held by the holding device 210 to a discharging point (not shown) as shown by the arrow; and a delivery device 230 that delivers the articles X supplied from the upstream side in the horizontal position to the holding device 210.
In this case, the holding device 210 includes round bar-shaped guide rails 211′, 211′ disposed at left and right sides in the conveying direction in order to hold the articles X in the standing position by engaging an upper ear of each article X in the standing position, and a table 212′ which supports the articles X from below. In addition, the delivery device 230 includes a plurality of delivery tables 231 . . . 231 disposed on the running surface, which move the articles X from the horizontal position to the standing position, and also slightly move the articles X in the arrow direction, by rotating and horizontally moving along the trajectory shown by the dashed line.
Accordingly, the supplied articles X are moved from the horizontal position to the standing position by the delivery device 230 at the receiving point P1. Then each article X is delivered one by one to the holding device 210. The articles X are supported by the guide rails 211′, 211′ and the table 212′ of the holding device 210. When a predetermined number of articles X are accumulated, the articles X are conveyed to the discharging point in close contact with each other by being pushed from behind by the pusher 220.
With the conveyance apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-212338, the relatively long and large position changing device 130 that moves the articles X from the horizontal position to the standing position in advance is needed. Consequently, the entire apparatus becomes larger, which will be a problem when cost and/or installation space is limited. In addition, on the downstream side of the position changing device 130, the articles X are sandwiched between the pair of fourth and fifth conveyors 134, 135, whose running surfaces are vertical, so that the articles X will be in the standing position. However, for example, when the thicknesses of packaged articles X having the same contents vary in each packaged article X, or when the frictional properties and flexibility of the packaging materials of the packaged articles X are different in each packaged article X, it may not be possible to stably maintain the standing position of the articles X.
On the other hand, the conveyance apparatus according to Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 09-104526 receives the articles X in the horizontal position at the delivery device 230 via the delivery table 231, and then moves the articles X from the horizontal position to the standing position by means of the rotation of the delivery table 231. Therefore, unlike the conveyance apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-212338, problems such as an increased size of the conveyance apparatus or the instability of the position of the articles X do not exist. However, as shown in FIG. 17, when the position of each article X is changed, the delivery table 231 largely rotates about a mounting base on the running surface as a rotation support point, so that the centrifugal force F′ acting on the articles X will be large, which may cause a problem in which the articles X jump off of the delivery table 231. This problem becomes apparent when the accumulation process is accelerated, i.e., the rotation of the delivery table 231 is accelerated in order to reduce the interval between the delivery of the articles X to the holding device 210.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved conveyance apparatus in which the accumulation process can be accelerated when a plurality of relatively flat articles received at a receiving point are conveyed to the discharging point, with the articles being held so as to be accumulated in a front-to-rear direction in the standing position. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.